Song: “Devil Dressed in Blue”
Artist: Right Away, Great Captain!
Album: The Eventually Home (2008)

Well I believe the closing scene
Is being told so close to me
I’m having trouble getting sleep
The devil dressed in blue

Well after all the enemies
Staring back inside of me
I wrote a tune or so it seems
That convinced me to always sing

Well I am but a kitchen sink
The place to make the others clean
But you keep coming back to me
I’ve never felt so old

A dirty word, a venom seeps
A happy man, a fish to keep
As long as I can think
I really think I need to think

Angel wrestle me
Crack my sides to let me see
That if the end will set me
They’re sending me down below
Well I can feel the wooden hair
Creeping out your cross to bear
I never knew you actually cared
I’m such a simple fool

Well seventy months out at sea
I hope that you still think of me
As Jesus knows that I still think
About the way you murdered me

Seven demons out at sea
I hope that you still think of me
As Jesus knows that I still think
About the way you murdered me

Angel wrestle me
Crack my sides to let me see
That if the end will set me free
They’re sending me down below
Well I can feel your wooden chair
Creeping out my cross to bear
I never knew you actually cared
I’m such a simple fool

Right Away, Great Captain! is the side project of Manchester Orchestra’s singer/songwriter Andy Hull. A conceptual project, the trilogy of Right Away, Great Captain! albums tell the story of a man who decides to set out to sea and find a new life for himself after being betrayed by the woman he loves. “Devil Dressed in Blue” comes from the second album in the trilogy and showcases the main draw of the project: Hull’s voice in multiple harmonies atop a simple acoustic guitar part. The lyrics describe the character’s struggle to reconcile with his feelings of betrayal (…I think). The last repetition of the chorus is done completely a capella, bringing the true force of Hull’s voice and ability to harmonize to the fore that creates a memorable ending to this short and sweet track.

My copy of The Eventually Home; re-released in 2018.

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